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Helping Someone Out of Deception with Truth and Compassion
Show Summary
What should Christians do when someone they love is caught in deception or false teaching?
In this episode of Contending for the Word Q&A, Dave Jenkins explains how Scripture calls us to respond with humility, biblical clarity, patient love, and deep trust in the Lord—holding fast to truth while reflecting the heart of Christ.
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Episode Notes
Key Scriptures
- 2 Timothy 2:25 — God may grant repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth.
- Ephesians 4:15 — Speaking the truth in love, growing up into Christ.
- Galatians 6:1 — Restore with gentleness, watching yourself.
Today’s Essential Truth
Helping someone out of deception requires patience, faithfulness, biblical clarity, and a heart that trusts God to bring repentance through His truth.
Four Biblical Principles for Helping the Deceived
- Begin with humility, not superiority.
Correction that is proud hardens hearts. Humility keeps the door open for honest conversation. - Speak truth clearly without compromise.
Compassion never requires silence about error. Open Scripture, test claims, and aim at faithfulness—not winning arguments. - Remember restoration is God’s work, not your control.
We can plead, warn, and explain, but only God grants repentance. Obedience belongs to us; results belong to the Lord. - Love persistently even when change is slow.
People rarely leave deception quickly. Continue praying, speaking truth appropriately, and modeling faithfulness while entrusting the outcome to Christ.
Dear Christian, helping someone out of deception is an act of faith—slow, costly, and deeply like Christ.
Jesus does not abandon wandering sheep, and neither should we. Hold fast to the truth, walk in humility, trust God to grant repentance, and love patiently even when the road is long.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
